LEEDS - 2

[RAFAT]

Hi scamptonboy, thanks for clarifying that.

Our airline used to nightstop in Bergamo but don't anymore, and I would love to go back and spend the occasional long weekend there, but unfortunately I don't know of anyone except Ryanair (and I certainly will never use them) that flies from the UK to Bergamo.

[scamptonboy]

Glad to be of sevice RAFAT, hope you consider using Jet2 if you go backto Bergamo.

[Leodis]

RobT100

I have been informed that there are no more flights to announce for the winter. Mind you, looks like next summer could be interesting.

[SASfox]

So how many charters a week are we left with now for this winter? Must be less than 10. Is this the worst winter for charters since the mid 80's?

[LBIA]

Winter 2006/07 charters for LBA currently stands as follows.

Mondays
Tuesdays
Malta 12:00 FHE321 11:15 FHE320 MD90 01/11/06-
Wednesdays
Banjul 07:30 AEU--- 00:25 AEU--- B737-700 20/12/06-30/03/07
Arrecife 11:20 TOM4185 20:45 TOM4186 B737-800 04/10/06-26/10/06
Thursdays
Taba 14:55 AEU--- 02:55* AEU--- B737-700 05/10/06-16/11/06
Arrecife 15:00 IWD3450 13:35 IWD3449 A320 02/11/06-26/04/07
Fridays
Tenerife 12:00 TOM6163 22:00 TOM6164 B737-800 03/11/06-27/04/07
Saturdays
Chambery 07:30 AEU--- 19:00 AEU--- B737-300 16/12/06-14/04/07
Innsbruck 15:55 AUA2376 15:10 AUA2375 Fokker 70 24/12/06-28/04/07
Alicante 16:20 TOM4166 15:00 TOM4167 B757-200 04/11/06-28/04/07
Sundays

Cruises
Simply Caribbean November 2nd 2006 Thomsonfly B767 P&O
Caribbean classis December 1st 2006 Thomsonfly B767 P&O
Caribbean Gold December 22nd 2006 Thomsonfly B767 P&O
Caribbean Gold February 16th 2007 Thomsonfly B767 P&O
Bremar February 17th 2007 Thomsonfly B767 Fred Olsean
Mexican Magic March 9th 2007 Thomsonfly B767 P&O

Day Trips
Lapland 01 December Transun
Norway Orca Safari 02 December Transun
Lapland 03 December Transun
Lapland 08 December Transun
Lapland Extravaganza09 December Canterbury
Lapland Dream22 December Canterbury

And Thats the lot

[airhumberside]

What does this mean for the part based TOM aircraft? Will that not now happen?

[SASfox]

Can't believe that PMI is missing again for the winter. 2 years ago Jet2 operated 2 a week on Tue and Sat. Last year nothing and looks like the same again this winter. As we, as a family have a place in Mallorca my poor mother will have to fly down to me then catch the bmi LHR-PMI flt instead of a direct flight from LBA
Don't get me wrong, i've flown Jet2 on half a dozen flights and never had a delay or any problems with them but sometimes they do weird thing like discontinue the PMI over the winter months. Market and promote the SZG flights as ideal for Christmas markets even though they don't start till the 3rd week in December which is impossible to get a weekend there before Christmas! The Krakow flights leave at 6pm on a Saturday evening and return early Tuesday...hardly handy for a weekend away is it.

[Flightrider]

The TUI programme is a 737-800 on the based unit, not a 757. Only the Alicante on Saturdays (a W pattern from DSA) is a 757.

[LBIA]

I've Edited the above list. Thanks flightrider.

[682ft AMSL]

RobT100

I imagine all TUI really want to do over winter is mitigate their losses. Prior to today's news. TUI had 4 x weekly flights on MAN-LPA, 2 x weekly DSA-LPA and 1 x weekly LBA-LPA. 7 in total, but if there is only aggregate demand for 6 flights a week across the Northl, it's inevitable that the LBA flight will be the one to suffer. TUI have a 3 airport deal with Peel and a huge investment in MAN and a one airport, fairly insignificant deal with LBA.

I'd be hugely surprised if Jet2 did anything to LPA this side of Christmas given the lead times. Putting something on sale now for a launch for Feb half term running into Easter is possible but still unlikely. Frankly, if they had any intention to be flying down to LPA, why wouldn't it have gone on sale months ago along with ACE and TFS?

I think as Leodis says, the winter schedule will be pretty much as it is now; Scotairways perhaps being the only thing that might come good.

Don't know anything about summer, so maybe Leodis could enlighten us?

682

[airhumberside]

Thomson also have seats on HUY-LPA

[LBA]

As much as the growth of LBA has been fantastic in recent years, that is a pathetic winter charter schedule, especially when you consider most routes will not be running all season!

[LBIA]

Looks like the Scot Airways Edinburgh-LBA service could be happening after all. Well thats if you read into todays coloum in the Scotsman newspaper.

I might get done for This next bit. But here is the artical

ScotAirways is hoping to introduce new direct flights from Edinburgh to Leeds/Bradford Airport, the Scotsman newspaper reports. The airline has booked time slots at Edinburgh for the new route, and has listed the destination in its provisional winter schedule.

The Cambridge-based airline, which already flies between Edinburgh to London City, told the newspaper that the move was 'in response to demand from business leaders in Scotland'.
The new service is expected to start at the end of October, with 3 daily flights likely to be introduced, departing Edinburgh at 06:50, 14:00 and 17:00.

[RAFAT]

Scamptonboy (I was of those a few years ago by the way) - As soon as they launch the service I'll be there.
Secondly, is LBA still in need of a Frankfurt service? When we (Flybe) had a base at LBA the Company's excuse for not doing Frankfurt was that ticket sales in Germany were prohibitively expensive, but now we're going to be doing some German routes I wonder if the LBA bosses have approached our Commercial department.
Our press release went something like :"The routes from Birmingham to Aberdeen and Hannover will see Flybe offer real low cost alternatives to these popular destinations and also re-confirms our move into the German marketplace."

[Jet2LBA]

is LBA still in need of a Frankfurt service?

I for one would welcome such a service with open arms! I currently take the LH flights out of MAN whilst my mate in FRA takes the same flights or has to route via BRU/CDG, etc with LH/BD when visiting here.

As he's an employee for LH I keep telling him to put a good word in for LBA...hehe.

[chris1976]

Given the success of the DUS service, I would hope that a second German route is high on the agenda for Jet2. Frankfurt would be a good start, linking two large european financial centres, but Berlin or Munich would also be attractive routes to Jet2 IMHO - attracting both business and leisure pax.
I am surprised that the new Krakow route is only twice per week. Given the loads on the centralwings service (and bearing in mind those appalling flight times) surely LBA can support a greater service than 2/week ?? Maybe it's a "testing the water" approach.
Anyone think Jet2 will expand the european city network and focus less on the "bucket & spade" destinations ? Maybe also increasing to daily on more routes (e.g. Rome) to attract more business pax. Surely there are a number of euro capital routes which LBA can support on a daily basis at least.
Any thoughts anyone?

[BombardierCR7]

DUS loads are approx 60% on average over the last 3 months. Unless there is some yield miracle going on, I would shy away from calling this route a success.

This may give you a clue as to why LS are sticking to the bucket & spade routes, and the usual city break routes, of which Frankfurt is definately not one of either.

[airhumberside]

Isn't FRA an expensive and busy airport to operate into anyway?

[682ft AMSL]

Originally Posted by BombardierCR7

DUS loads are approx 60% on average over the last 3 months. Unless there is some yield miracle going on, I would shy away from calling this route a success.
This may give you a clue as to why LS are sticking to the bucket & spade routes, and the usual city break routes, of which Frankfurt is definately not one of either.

The last 3 months is of course the first 3 months of the service. Clearly they'll be wanting more than 60% or the yield miracle (or ideally both) at some point, but I suspect given the obvious internal wranglings over whether they should have proceeded with DUS or not, they weren't expecting too much early doors.

With July data now out, I see the rolling 12 mths pax total is 2.7m exactly. There will be need to be an even bigger miracle than that Jet2 are looking for on their DUS yields if 3.0m passengers is to be achieved in 2006. Suffice to say, I'm already banking on one free pint this Christmas.

I can only imagine the person at LBA who dreamt up the forecast of 3.0m pax this year was either expecting some route developments which never happened or simply can't add up. The rationale behind a forecast of 3.1m million passengers for 2006 in the final issue of the masterplan released only a couple of months ago is much more puzzling.

682

[PTH needs tarmac]

Even the World Cup did not push the DUS load factor up very much. With most of the "bucket and spade" routes for Jet2 running load factors in the high 80s (rough calculation from recent CAA data) I'd say Jet2 will be sticking with them for some time to come.

Jet2 don't see to shy away from using "busier, more expensive" hub airport (eg AMS, CDG etc). It's getting the slots that is the major obstacle. FRA makes more sense twice daily, but with an aircraft smaller than a B737-300, and Jet2 won't be going down that road. CDG would be a much more attractive prospect for more flights.

Additional flights to the likes of Rome appear logical enough but aircraft utilisation in summer is already high and extra flights would have to go on off-peak days or be at the expense of other rotations.

PTH